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Science | Citizenship | Relationships and health

‘Obesity crisis’ puts one million in hospital

Are we panicking too much about obesity? Yesterday, hospital admissions data revealed the toll it takes on the health system – and sparked a debate about attitudes towards weight. For months, Britain has been treated to the sight of ministers working out in public spaces. Health secretary Matt Hancock has been snapped running and lunging in the park. Boris Johnson has been spotted cycling around the city. All of this in the interest of setting an example of healthy living. On Tuesday, Britons were reminded of why the government has been stressing the need for action. New statistics show that obesity-related hospital admissions topped one million between 2019 and 2020. It is an increase of 600% in 10 years. Over 25% of men and 29% of women are now classified as obese. Many more are overweight. Since 2014, more people in England and Scotland have died of obesity-related health problems than from smoking. The Covid-19 pandemic has underlined the need for action. Studies have shown a clear link between the countries with the most overweight citizens and the highest death rates. The prime minister himself has spoken of his brush with Covid-19 and described it as a weight-loss motivation. If he and others manage it, they will also save public money. In 2020, the government estimated that NHS spending on obesity was about £6.1bn per year. The crisis is bigger than Britain. Global rates of obesity tripled between 1975 and 2014. There are now more obese people than there are underweight people. Diseases associated with being overweight, such as diabetes or heart disease, are among the most deadly in the world. Deaths from diabetes have risen 70% worldwide since 2000. But some feel campaigns focused on concern about obesity and personal lifestyles are less effective at promoting weight loss than they are at spreading blame. By warning of an epidemic of obesity, some argue, we run the risk of shaming individuals. The £6.1bn spent on treating the overweight is large, but the NHS budget was topped up by 10 times as much to deal with Covid-19. The stigma attached to being overweight is an ancient one. In the Fourth Century AD, St. Augustine spoke of his shame at his appetite. Gluttony was long considered one of the seven deadly sins of Christianity. And the Ancient Greeks considered obesity proof of laziness. Disapproval, however, was not the only attitude shown to the overweight in the UK. In the 19th Century, one of the heaviest men ever to live, Daniel Lambert, was celebrated and even depicted by cartoonists as John Bull, the embodiment of Britain himself. He was drawn towering over Napoleon. Lambert’s final weight was 335kg. It was the heaviest ever recorded at that point. Today, it would not break the top 50. A modern government is less likely to celebrate his life and exploits – which included wrestling a bear – than they are to point to his age when he died. He was 39. Are we panicking too much about obesity? Weight of the world Yes, say some. While there are clearly dangers to being extremely overweight, talk of an epidemic shames people and casts the overweight as a drain on society. Many overweight people will face discrimination or hostility if they are treated as a problem in the newspapers. Many are healthy anyway. The panic is rooted in a fear of the undisciplined masses and undermines the mutual respect that keeps a national health system alive. No, say others. The world needs to recognise the tremendous pressure that obesity places on the economy and the systems of health and social care. The cost of obesity to the economy could soon reach £50bn. Even more importantly, the shortened lives of those with obesity are avoidable tragedies. After the Covid-19 pandemic, it has become clear that inaction on obesity is not a choice. KeywordsObese - For adults, obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more. A BMI of 25 or more is classed as overweight.

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